What is Reddit's opinion of
MiniVAN?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
Popularity Score: 8
This app was mentioned in 15 comments, with an average of 3.00 upvotes
Best Comments
If you have a smart phone, MiniVan is indispensable. Have your phone charged well before you go out though, because it eats up the juice.
I use the map view, and one trick you may not know is that you can swipe right on a name to mark it as not home (the most common response).
Download MiniVAN: iOS, Android (Then set up an ActionID for yourself)
If you have literature you are leaving, adding a little note saying something like "[Name], Sorry we missed you, Please be sure to vote on April 19!" can be helpful to add a personal touch. (And it gives you something to do while you wait to see if they answer the door). I usually write the name last, so if they do open the door I can give them a clean one, and then write the next person's name on the one with the message on it.
you'll see....just download it now so you are ready to go
Here is google https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
Here is apple https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/minivan-touch/id352087547?mt=8
How to canvass/knock on doors:
Before you come, please download the phone application MiniVan. you will need a smartphone to canvas your area. (links below). If you do not have a smartphone, please contact us before you go out to canvass
iphone Link: https://appsto.re/us/73g_u.i
android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
Then go to http://map.berniesanders.com/ to find your local office
go to the office to pick up brochures and to get an area assigned
Don't forget to press the "synch" button at the end so your input is synchronized with campaign database
Download the miniVAN app onto your phone if you have a smartphone:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/minivan-touch/id352087547
Hop on the local CT Yang Gang Facebook group & see if anyone wants to carpool up with you.
When you RSVP for the particular canvass on yang2020.com/events, you'll have a way to email / call the organizer. Ping them with this same question.
Thanks to for doing this in order to get this man over the line!
How to canvass/knock on doors:
Before you come to the office, please download the phone application MiniVan. you will need a smartphone to canvas your area. (links below). If you do not have a smartphone, please contact us before you go out to canvass
iphone Link: https://appsto.re/us/73g_u.i
android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
Then go to http://map.berniesanders.com/ to find your local office
go to the office to pick up brochures and to get an area assigned
Don't forget to press the "synch" button at the end so your input is synchronized with campaign database
Before you come, please download the phone application MiniVan. you will need a smartphone to canvas your area. (links below). If you do not have a smartphone, please contact us before you go out to canvass
iphone Link: https://appsto.re/us/73g_u.i
android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
Then go to http://map.berniesanders.com/ to find your local office
go to the office to pick up brochures and to get an area assigned
Don't forget to press the "synch" button at the end so your input is synchronized with campaign database
Can you include this info on canvassing in your post? How to canvass/knock on doors:
Before you come to the office, please download the phone application MiniVan. you will need a smartphone to canvas your area. (links below). If you do not have a smartphone, please contact us before you go out to canvass
iphone Link: https://appsto.re/us/73g_u.i
android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
Then go to http://map.berniesanders.com/ to find your local office
go to the office to pick up brochures and to get an area assigned
Don't forget to press the "synch" button at the end so your input is synchronized with campaign database
Before you come, please download the phone application MiniVan. you will need a smartphone to canvas your area. (links below). If you do not have a smartphone, please contact us before you go out to canvass
iphone Link: https://appsto.re/us/73g_u.i
android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
Then go to http://map.berniesanders.com/ to find your local office
go to the office to pick up brochures and to get an area assigned
Don't forget to press the "synch" button at the end so your input is synchronized with campaign database
Canvassing is basically the act of going out into the community and contacting people face to face to learn about their issues and hopefully convince them to vote for your political candidate of choice.
What you need:
- Yourself (optional: bring friends!)
- Grab some campaign literature/flyers from the local Bernie office
- If you're doing doing door to door canvassing, make sure you have a phone or tablet that has the miniVAN app installed: Android or Apple. You'll need to get a "miniVAN list" from a local organizer.
- If you're canvassing at an event the BERN app may be more useful
- It's a good idea to bring some water and snacks while you're canvassing
What you do:
If you're using the miniVAN app and have a "list" it will basically use your GPS location to generate a list of likely or undecided voters around your current location whose doors you can knock on. If they are around, great, have a conversation with them about how you are volunteering with the Bernie Sanders campaign and why Bernie is the candidate we need to beat Trump! If nobody is at home, slide some literature in their door jamb and find the next door to knock. Do NOT leave flyers or literature in mailboxes, it is ILLEGAL.
If you're using the BERN app there is a "Volunteer" tab and you click the "Talk about Bernie in my community" and basically try to fill out the fields that show up.
Tips:
A great way to get started is to sign up for an event at: https://events.berniesanders.com/. They are generally super beginner friendly and can walk you through the process in a lot more detail than I'm providing.
In general, try to never go negative on other candidates or directly disagree with the person you're talking to. It is far easier to convince someone when you highlight similarities and agree with them on issues. Even the most logical and cogent argument will fall flat if a person isn't receptive (and most people aren't).
Sorry for what turned out to be a text wall of stream of consciousness!
Preparing:
- As others have suggested, wear boots, and bring appropriate layers to keep warm. The forecast for tomorrow should be sunny, light breeze, and around the freezing point. Can't ask for much better this time of year, but keep in mind you'll be outside for 2-3 hours straight.
- Download the MiniVan app from your smart phone's app store before showing up. Create an Action ID account to get ahead of the curve (this is the app the campaign uses for volunteer turfs) if you haven't already (you'll be prompted to do this when you open the app).
- Bring gloves, but keep in mind that you'll be needing to interact with your phone fairly often. Since I canvass a lot and plan to do a bunch this winter but don't have fancy gloves that work with touch screens, I dropped a couple bucks to get a simple stylus that allows me to keep my gloves on and my hands warm throughout my shift.
- Wear pants with pockets if you have them (especially ones with cargo pockets)! Being able to have the campaign lit on "quick-draw" from your cargo pocket makes managing your clipboard, phone, etc. SO much easier.
- Bring some petty cash for incidentals (though the campaign typically has snacks and coffee in the office and provides pizza for lunch).
- Bring a USB charging cable for your phone, and a portable battery if you have one. Depending on your use of MiniVan, it can drain your battery fast (especially in map mode), especially so in cold weather. Even if you don't have a portable battery, bring your cable, as there are others (like myself) who often bring one and are happy to share the juice!
- The campaign will provide training (on both the app and on preferred door manner and tactics) before you go out.
Notes on the doors:
- I've been up canvassing various turfs around Nashua, Concord, and Exeter field offices, each with their own unique characteristics and quirks, so it's hard to provide a blanket expectation of voter fatigue, etc. (e.g. when I was last in Exeter we were hitting up some really small towns that hadn't been touched by any campaigns yet, so people were generally quite fresh and undecided ... vs. others I've done where you walk up to the door and it's already got 3 pieces of lit from other campaigns and people will just take an elevator pitch and nothing more).
- I'm sure you'll get this in the training, but think ahead about your Bernie story (i.e. why you support him, the more personal the reasons the better!), and rely on it heavily on the doors. This helps to humanize a conversation among strangers, a necessary step in establishing trust and having a meaningful interaction. Were you hospitalized by some freak medical incident and saw the light that we need Medicare for All? Use that! Are you shackled by crippling student debt that is preventing you from starting your life? Use that! As tempting as reciting a bunch of statistics or high-falutin abstract theory as to why these policies make sense may be, for the vast majority of people you'll talk to your own journey to supporting Bernie is much more persuasive (and much harder for them to rebuke).
- At this point, Republicans can no longer re-register in NH, so the only people the campaign is targeting (and thus that you will likely knock) are Dems and unenrolleds. Your risk of running into hostile Trump supporters is quite low, so relax! (And just for the record, two of the top 3 best conversations I've had knocking on doors in NH were with Trump supporters ...)
- On that note, a lot of the toughest conversations for me have generally been with Democrats (typically ones that are older / retired, watch lots of MSNBC etc., and are better off i.e. people for whom the system is "working just fine"). Strategies for having the biggest impact in trying to move them will vary. In general, since they're likely in a position of privilege and issues like Medicare for All and student debt may be very personally distant for them, don't hesitate to leverage your own personal story to at least try and play off of their empathy, explaining how Bernie is the only candidate really fighting for you/us.
- Related: avoid going negative on other candidates. Better to frame things positively. e.g. don't lead with "Warren has retreated from her initial commitment to Medicare for All and can't be trusted", initiate with "Bernie is the only candidate who has committed to begin the fight to implement M4A on day one of his presidency."
- Regardless of how a conversation goes, always end it with a smile and a "thank you for your time, have a nice day." Even if we don't succeed at persuading people this time, it is critical to the movement that they still come away with a positive (or at worst, neutral) experience that leaves them that little bit more receptive when we engage them again in the future (think long game).
can someone help promote this post:
Before you come, please download the phone application MiniVan. you will need a smartphone to canvas your area. (links below). If you do not have a smartphone, please contact us before you go out to canvass
iphone Link: https://appsto.re/us/73g_u.i
android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
Then go to http://map.berniesanders.com/ to find your local office
go to the office to pick up brochures and to get an area assigned
Don't forget to press the "synch" button at the end so your input is synchronized with campaign database
Before you come, please download the phone application MiniVan. you will need a smartphone to canvas your area. (links below). If you do not have a smartphone, please contact us before you go out to canvass
iphone Link: https://appsto.re/us/73g_u.i
android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
Then go to http://map.berniesanders.com/ to find your local office
go to the office to pick up brochures and to get an area assigned
Don't forget to press the "synch" button at the end so your input is synchronized with campaign database
Before you come, please download the phone application MiniVan. you will need a smartphone to canvas your area. (links below). If you do not have a smartphone, please contact us before you go out to canvass
iphone Link: https://appsto.re/us/73g_u.i
android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.voteractivationnetwork.minivan&hl=en
Then go to http://map.berniesanders.com/ to find your local office
go to the office to pick up brochures and to get an area assigned
Don't forget to press the "synch" button at the end so your input is synchronized with campaign database